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The Beach on his creative process, covers and crazy festival moments
Indie | Tuesday 27th October 2015 | Christina
We catch up with The Beach, the British singer-songwriter who has been winning praise from critcs and tastemakers, including the likes of Zane Lowe, and amassing a fan base, thanks to an amazing voice and a series of intimate shows.
Hey, how's it going? So you recently finished a residency at The Social, how was it?
I really enjoyed my residency at The Social, it was great to be able to go back to the same place every week in a city I know very well. It was like throwing a party every week in September.
Give us a bit of background, how did you get started in music?
I started learning the guitar when I saw someone on stage playing at the Christmas concert at school, I was drawn to it. I guess I just had an itch to be on stage. I begged my parents for a guitar, they were reluctant at first because my brother was learning to play the violin and they kept having to hassle him to practise and didn’t want it to be the same for me, but eventually they gave in and bought me a guitar. I didn’t leave my room again, I just sat there playing music whenever I could.
Where does the name “The Beach” come from?
For me music has always been a release or a place I would go which took me away from reality, and a beach is a place people go on holiday to get away from it all. So in this case music is my beach and is a metaphor for escapism.
People are drawing comparisons to the like of Bon Iver and Ben Howard, who are your influences?
To be compared to both those artists is a privilege as I love both of their work. I love music that is emotional and that I can run to. If I can run to a song then it great...it doesn’t have to be a fast song, it just needs to be really emotional or musically stimulating so that it fills me with so much adrenaline that I can’t feel myself being tired and out of breath.
Talk us through the inspiration behind 'Maybe?'.
It’s a naïve person’s view on society and why as humans we choose and will always choose to fight each other.
How involved were you with the concept of the video?
I was very involved, but I do like to stand back and observe the creative process as I like to see a film makers interpretation of something I created as I know people will watch the video and they will interpret it differently.
Is that a side of the industry that you enjoy?
Yes I learn from visuals so to me they are as important to me as the music.
You released Colours, an EP of covers, why did you decide to put out a covers project?
I did release a covers EP, I did that because I got to put my own twist on songs that were in a different style that I would not normally write, so it was a great exercise to help me explore new production styles and just have some fun without the worrying whether the song is any good or not.
How did you choose who/what to cover?
Well I wanted to do a bunch of very different styles of songs but what they all had in common was that I really liked them. My favourite is ‘Holocene’ as that is a song that I wish I had written. And when I heard it I felt like I needed to sing it.
You’ve also got the Maybe? EP out, are there plans for a full album?
Yes the album will be out next year, it is coming along nicely
What are you most looking forward to for the rest of the year?
Taking time to finish my record.
What is the first record you bought?
Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory.
What or who are you in love with right now?
I found new love in learning and making a conscious effort to absorb and be open to everything around me, so that I can improve as a writer.
You played a few festivals this summer, any crazy festival moments you can share with us?
Festival season was really good fun, the only thing that went wrong was when the electronic system broke on stage at T in the Park. It was an issue as we run off click track and I rely on this click in my ear for my queue to come in, so that really wasn’t ideal!
Do you have any pre show rituals?
I get really weird before shows, I go really quiet and walk around on my own and drink coconut water, then warm up my voice and then go on stage and hit all the notes.
Other than music what do you know most about?
Sharks. I actually wanted to be a marine biologist at school as I have this obsession with sharks. I used to watch loads of documentaries about them.
How do you define success?
Freedom and respect! If I can have the freedom to do what I want (musically), whilst being well known and respected then I’m successful.
If you could fill a swimming pool with anything, what would it be and why?
I’d fill it with frog spawn, because I would get to watch tadpoles grow into frogs.
What one thing would you do to make the world a better place?
I’d steal a money-printing machine and travel around giving cash to people that really need it.
Follow The Beach on Twitter.
